Dedicated/Public Server

Dedicated/Public Server

If you want to create a server where people all over the world can access and play on, you will want to consider having a "Dedicated Server." This is just a machine that is just meant for hosting Minecraft. It will only have an OS and the server software installed on it. There are some risks in running a public server though. It is basically an open door to hackers, and they can get into your machine to steal information. This is why public servers don't have anything that a personal computer may have such as pictures, passwords, or programs. Let's start!

The first part of setting up the server is the same for both private and public servers. However, instead of using Hamachi, you have to do something a little more different. Your computer should have a static IP address first, so it doesn't keep changing all the time.

Go to Windows Network and Sharing Center

Find the place that has the name of your network.

Click on the link next to where it says "Connections" on the side.

Click on "Properties."

Find where it says "Internet Protocol Version 4" (IPv4)

Go to its properites.

Have this window open, but go to Command Prompt

Run>"cmd."

Once the console is open, type in "ipconfig."

A bunch of text should pop up, but find where it says "IPv4" address, and write down the set of numbers next to it, you will need to use it a couple times.

Go back to the IPv4 Properties window and select the radio button that says "Use the following IP Address" if it isn't alreadt selected. Type in the IPv4 address that you just wrote down, into the box next to "IP Address."

It should automatically create a Subnet Mask for you.

Click "OK" to exit out of it.

You have now made your computer have a static IP address, which makes it more vulnerable to hacker attempts.

The next part of this tutorial is "Port Forwarding" which creates a gateway through your Firewall.

Port Forwarding

Open your internet browser and type in the IPv4 address that you wrote down into the address bar.

A dialogue box will pop up, prompting you to enter login credentials.

By default, the ID and Password will be "admin" and "password." If this doesn't work, contact your network adminstrator.

This part will be different for different router brands, but you can still follow along.

Find a link that says something along the lines of "Port Forwarding/Port Triggering."

Click on "Add new service" or "Add new port."

For the name, you can have anything you want.

For the Starting AND Ending Port, enter the number "25565."

Under server IP Address, enter the same IPv4 that you have been using.

Now that you have forwarded your port, all that is left to do is have people join the server. They will have to do this through an "external IP". You can find this number by going to the website : whatismyip.com. This is the number that people will be using to connect to your server. If it doesn't work, there are some things you can try to troubleshoot the issue. You can go to the server properties Notepad file and try switching the "server IP=" value between your IPv4 and the public IP number. Some firewalls may require the port to be entered as well, someone logs into your server, they will have to type the external IP-colon-25565. So it will look something like: 123.456.7.8:25565. If all is well, people from all over the world can play in your server. This can be fun as long as you observe the safety risks.

Congratulations, you now know how to set up your very own Private or Public server. Happy Mining!